


The World Ends Here

by Yzazar



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Everyone wants to be the one to rescue Bodhi, Multi, let the games begin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 08:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yzazar/pseuds/Yzazar
Summary: People like to spread rumors about Bodhi. The more whimsical suspect he’s a selkie or a siren. The more rational accept he’s a former privateer turned respectable blacksmith. The truth is revealed when he’s arrested for piracy.





	The World Ends Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bodhi is a strong independent pirate that doesn't need anybody to rescue him.  
Everyone's going to try and rescue him anyways.
> 
> or 
> 
> I grew up watching Pirates of the Caribbean movies and earlier this year I spent way too many hours playing Assassins Creed IV and now here we are. I have no regrets.

The rumors surrounding Bodhi began the moment he suddenly appeared on the docks one morning. He came in before the worst hurricane they had ever experienced. The town was small and only accessible by ship so it was not so strange for travelers and strangers to come in with the wind. What made people begin whispering about Bodhi is the fact he arrived with no ship at all. 

The harbormaster insists not a single new ship had docked that morning. None had for days and none would for weeks after. No one ever noticed when the strange man began his vigil but several of the more outspoken fishermen and dockhands swear he appeared as if by magic, there at the very end of an empty dock. While no one could really say when he arrived many can attest that the newcomer stood on the dock staring out at the sea with an expression of unbearable sadness as if waiting for someone. 

He stood there until the wind picked up at midday and the clouds quickly hid the sun. While the dockhands and fishermen worked quickly to secure their charges against the coming storm he stood there and when the rain began, he still did not move. As the storm progresses and while everyone quickly flees indoors Bodhi remains. 

Eventually, the sunsets and the storm lands and the town residents are too busy trying to survive to keep an eye on the newcomer. When the storm passes and they are busy rebuilding they gladly accept the new blacksmith that Governor Erso appoints. 

People are initially wary of the newcomer, especially one that has so many strange rumors surrounding him but he does good work and gives a fair price and soon he’s one of them. Which is why the rumors and gossip around him only grow. 

The more rational accept he’s a former privateer turned respectable blacksmith. Bodhi is from across the sea, a privateer shipwrecked before he landed on their shores. After several weeks of prying and half-answers, it’s the only history that they can piece together. Nothing unusual about that at all. 

The more whimsical like to joke he’s a selkie or a siren. Who else could appear so suddenly and as if by magic? Arrived in the middle of a storm, no boat in sight, just there at the end of a doc and he was certainly pretty enough to be one. The children openly ask him and he laughs in delight before denying it. 

The rumor mills explode when the governor’s daughter begins to frequently visit his workshop. Some mutter amongst themselves that it is improper and few go further and whisper that perhaps he’s enchanted her with his siren song. 

Such whispers eventually find their way to Bodhi when the town children who grow convinced he’s hiding something ask if he’s going to seduce the governers daughter and run away with her. He promptly develops a noticeable flush and begins to stammer out his usual denials. These rumors are only put to rest when governor Erso is called back to the empire and his daughter disappears into the night. The empire claims she’d been kidnapped by pirates and spare no expense to search for her. They’ll never find her. 

One of the more clever children come up with a plan to discover the truth. Bodhi never goes into the water. He spends plenty of time by the dock staring wistfully out at the sea, further fueling the rumors, but never goes in. Some people playfully suggest that if he did, he'd surely sprout fins and gills. They say this in jest but for the children who hear it...well, they take it to heart. 

That’s when all the trouble starts. The children of the town conspire and somehow successfully shove him off the end of the dock one day. Bodhi stays under for longer than they expected. A few of the children even become convinced that they’ve accidentally killed their beloved blacksmith and being to weep, drawing attention to the crowd of children. When he resurfaces without a fishes tail or as a seal the children are visibly disappointed but also relieved. The same can not be said for the reactions the adult have. They are visibly startled when Bodhi hauls himself back onto the dock. His soaking wet shirt had become translucent enough to expose extensive tattoo’s running the length of his torso. 

Bodhi looks around and immediately fear fills his eyes. He hurries past all those openly staring and knows then, that one of them would betray him. It’s not long till the empire’s soldiers are forcefully pushing into Bodhi’s home and dragging him out in broad daylight. A spectacle for all to see. He is silent all the while, waiting for the right moment to play his last hand.

* * *

Bursting into the hall, Cassian stops cold at the sight of a pistol aimed at him. He looks up and is startled when he sees Bodhi behind the weapon. He smiles and Bodhi glares as he pulls the trigger. The pistol goes off with a deafening sound that reverberates through the hall. There is a moment of silence as a stunned Cassian quickly pats himself down. After several seconds it becomes apparent that he's alright and his relief quickly gives way to anger. 

“You tried to shoot me!” Cassian exclaims in disbelief. Bodhi is still glaring daggers at the pirate captain as he lowers the pistol. 

“I’m a former Imperial soldier,” he snaps “We both know I never would have hit you.” Cassian does not look comforted by the fact. 

“_ You tried to shoot me! _” he repeats, fury written all over his face. 

“_ You marooned me on an island, _” Bodhi replies with just as much fury. Cassian’s mouth falls open in disbelief. 

“For your safety!” He shouts back, “We were going to come back!” Bodhi’s face twists in disbelief 

“Except you didn’t!” Bodhi spat. Cassian’s fury gives way to an apologetic frown.

“There were unforeseen delays!” He attempts to explain himself. Bodhi glances down at the empty pistol and after almost no hesitation, throws it at Cassian who jumps aside as it sails past where his head would have been.

“If I hadn't flagged down a merchant ship I would have died, you bastard!” With empty hands, Bodhi resorts to throwing the rubble that littered the hallway, courtesy of the cannon holes in the wall. 

“Bodhi put the rocks down!” Cassian shouts as he dances out of reach of Bodhi’s fury. “Can we talk about it?”

“Fuck you!” 

Cassian gasps dramatically at the profanity and having finally lost his patience rushes Bodhi and tackles him to the floor. With his arms and legs pinned to the ground, Cassian thinks he’s safe before Bodhi whips his head forward. Cassian’s pretty sure his nose is broken but he curses through it and only tightens his hold. 

“Bodhi.” He says and the laughter in his voice finally makes Bodhi stop struggling. He leans back to look Bodhi is the eyes and his smile looks demented, probably a side effect of the blood running down his face. 

“Keep smiling and I’ll spit in your face.” Bodhi threatens and that just makes Cassian laugh. 

“I don’t care,” Cassian says breathlessly, “I’m just happy to see you alive!” 

“No thanks to you,” Bodhi immediately mutters, but he’s stopped struggling and is pointedly avoiding Cassian's gaze. 

“If I let you go will you stop trying to kill me?”

“No.” 

“What if I threaten to knock you out and carry you back to my ship?”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Then try not to attack me when I let you go.” Slowly Cassian loosens his grip while keeping a close eye on Bodhi’s limbs. Bodhi glares at him the entire time but does not move to attack again. Cassian sits up quickly before offering Bodhi a hand which he pointedly ignores, standing up on his own. 

Once upright they dust themselves off and awkwardly avoid each other's gaze. Only when Bodhi’s burning curiosity gets the best of him does he finally speak. 

“What are you even doing here?” Cassian pauses halfway through wiping the blood off his face to stare at him in disbelief. 

“I’m here to rescue you,” he says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Bodhi blinks at him several times in surprise and then looks away, trying to hide a pleased smile. Cassian opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by the distinct sound of a large door opening.

Acting quickly, Cassian grabs Bodhi’s hands and twists them behind his back, receiving an elbow to the stomach for his trouble.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bodhi hisses while struggling. Cassian grunts in pain but keeps a tight grip on Bodhi. 

“I’m dressed as an Imperial guard,” he whispers as the door in front of them opens. “Play along.” Out of the corner of his eye, Bodhi notices that Cassian was, in fact, wearing that dreaded uniform and concludes that this must be part of Cassian's so-called rescue attempt. 

Bodhi glances back at the open door and his jaw drops when he recognizes the figures coming through. A woman dressed in the most intricate and elegant court attire that Bodhi has ever laid eyes on. Her guards were dressed in equally foreign and impressive uniforms. The guards stop at the sight of them, their charge safely behind as they raise their weapons. The woman swiftly appraises the situation before glaring at Cassian. 

“Sir,” she says imperiously in a perfect courtly tone, “I do not know who you are but if you do not unhand Mr. Rook, my guards will be forced to oblige you.” 

“Who exactly are you?” Cassian spits while retaining his iron grip on Bodhi. 

“I am Princess Leia of Alderaan and I come bearing a royal pardon for Mr. Rook.” Bodhi’s mouth dropped open in shock and he can’t stop the hysterical giggle that escapes. Cassian raises an eyebrow before glancing at Bodhi. 

“Do you know this woman?” he asks dryly. Bodhi does, but he can’t very well tell Cassian that. Bodhi was the lowest of privateers before he was shipwrecked. Being picked up by Cassian’s crew and essentially commandeered into a life of piracy didn’t put him in the path of many princesses so who would believe him if he said yes? Instead, he shrugs non-committedly and says nothing more. Cassian glares at him, suspicious, before turning to glare at the woman. 

“Right,” he says “I don’t know who you are but I am not leaving here without Bodhi.” 

“Are you stupid?” The woman speaks up again, her voice dripping with disdain, “I just told you I’m-”

“I know who you said you were.” Cassian cuts her off dryly. “But of the five of us here I’m certainly the only one who has actually met the princess and you are not her.”

The woman falters and the illusion breaks. She rolls her eyes and raises a pistol of her own. 

“Fine,” She says, dropping all pretenses. “Let Bodhi go or _ I _ will oblige you.” 

“Where did you get that?” a familiar voice speaks out from under the helmet of one of her guards. 

“Baze?” Bodhi asks. His suspicions are confirmed when the helmet is raised and Bodhi sees the old man's kind eyes.

“I had it hidden in the sleeve.” Jyn raises one of her sleeves showing just how voluminous they were. “I have a spare and a grenade in there too!” 

Bodhi turns to look at the last member of their party to see Chirrut lift his helmet and smile cheerily.

“Bodhi!” he says loudly “We are here to rescue you!” Bodhi can feel the tears begin to blur his vision but he smiles at his friends. 

“You idiots,” he says fondly. He is unbelievably touched that they had gone through so much effort. Behind him, Cassian coughs softly. 

“I take it you do know them then?” Bodhi is suddenly reminded how he came to know them and he quickly pulls his hands out of Cassian's grip to turn on him. 

“Yes,” he confirms. “Baze and Chirrut plucked me out of the ocean after you marooned me!” Cassian throws his hands up and yells at the ceiling

“I was going to come back!” 

“But you didn’t!” 

“Wait!” Jyn suddenly interrupts. “Is this the man that left you to die?” Bodhi takes great pleasure in the stunned and offended expression that crosses Cassian’s face.

“And who are you, Princess?” Cassian asks while glaring at her. 

“You don’t need to know my name,” she answers. “We’ll just take Bodhi and be on our way.” 

“I think not,” Cassian says and Bodhi scoffs at him.

“I think I’ll decide where I go,” Bodhi quickly speaks up, glaring at Cassian once more. 

“I saw through their disguise immediately,” Cassian insists “There are half a dozen people in this fort who personally know the princess! How far do you think you will get?” Bodhi glances back at his rescue party and for once, they look uncertain. 

“We made it this far,” Jyn insists. “We will be fine.” 

“You just have to make it out of this fortress, travel the length of the town and down to the docks to a waiting ship in the middle of an attack, yes?” Cassian correctly surmises their plan. They all remain silent. Bodhi is quickly growing tired of just standing in a hallway where anyone could find them.

“What’s your plan then?” he asks and Cassian grins. 

“I’ve got some old friends distracting the Royal Navy with cannon fire. I arrived last night and spent most of the day disabling every navy ship, cannon, and weapons I could get to. K is waiting for us with a ship on the other side of the island. All I need is for you to come with me. 

Bodhi thinks it sounds better than his other options but he won’t admit that. By the grin on Cassian’s face, he knows it too. He doesn’t have much time to dwell on it because Jyn speaks up. 

“The cannon fire stopped some time ago.” she informs him, “I think your friends are on the run.” Everyone paused to listen and try to recall when they had last heard the deafening blasts. They hear nothing but the sound of Imperial soldiers growing louder. They were running out of time. 

“We’ll all go together,” Bodhi finally concedes as he stares down Cassian, daring him to disagree. Cassian nods and ushers Bodhi forward. 

“If Melshi stopped firing that means the Navy was able to launch one of their ships,” Cassian says, worry written across his face. “We need to leave before someone else finds us.” Everyone nods in agreement, even Jyn who doesn’t look fully convinced. 

“Lead the way then Captain,” Bodhi says more out of habit than anything. Cassian’s grin grows fond and he takes Bodhi’s hand in his before dragging him forward. The others quickly fall behind as Cassian leads them. They hurry through the maze-like hallways that make up the fortress where Bodhi was being held and miraculously meet no one. 

“Where is everyone?” Bodhi softly wonders aloud. In front of him, Cassian laughs quietly. 

“Well between Melshi’s cannon fire and all the ships I disabled, I imagine they are all preoccupied.” Behind him, Chirrut speaks up. 

“We set the watchtower on fire too!” Which explained the bright, flickering light that was coming through the high, narrow windows. 

“With any luck, they will be preoccupied until morning,” Cassian whispers back to them, “We will be long gone by then.” Cassian squeezes his hand tightly and Bodhi can’t help but be comforted by the small gesture. After weeks in a prison cell, he was so close to freedom. 

Suddenly Cassian stops ahead of him and Bodhi has to push back against Jyn to stop from colliding with him. They all hold their breath as they hear the sound of several voices coming towards them. Bodhi’s heart jumps when they all surround him and quickly raise their weapons, ready to defend him against whoever may come through the door. Frantically he looks around for an exit and recalls that they passed a locked door on the way. He grabs Cassian by the back of his shirt and drags the startled man, all while pulling something out from under his shirt. 

“Bodhi what are you doing?!” Jyn is whispering frantically while rushing after them. Baze follows and drags Chirrut in a similar manner. Instead of answering, he shows her what he had hidden under his clothes the whole time. A ring of keys he had seduced a guard into giving him. The shouting voices are growing closer and if they hadn't been shouting they most certainly would have heard the mad scrambling as Bodhi found the right key to open the door. Bodhi almost shouts with joy when he successfully opens it. Instead, he’s shoved inside as they all pile in and Cassian quickly shuts the door behind them. They freeze, waiting till the voices pass, too afraid to even breathe. Eventually, the shouting men rush past their hiding spot and they all exhale in relief. 

“You had keys the whole time?” Cassian asks in surprise. Bodhi raises an eyebrow as he hides the keys away. 

“What?” He asks only minimally offended, “Did you all think I was just waiting to be rescued?” They all say nothing and Bodhi is significantly more offended. 

“Anyway!” Chirrut changes the subject. “What now?” 

“Well, now that we have access to one of these windows we can climb out and swim to shore,” Cassian explains as he moves to unlatch one of the windows. He throws it open and then glances down to see if it was safe to jump into the water.

Instead, he makes eye contact with a stranger scaling the wall. They both yell and Cassian stumbles backward, promptly tripping over the corner of a carpet and crashing to the ground. Outside the window, they hear the sound of something hitting the water. 

“Shhh!” They all hiss, far too late. Bodhi quickly runs to the window to see what had startled Cassian and is equally surprised when the head that pops up from under the water is familiar. 

“Luke!” he shouts before clapping a hand over his mouth. Luke smiles brilliantly when he realizes who’s at the window. 

“Bodhi!” he shouts and Jyn is suddenly behind him waving her hands frantically. 

“SHHHH!!!” It’s a goddamn miracle they have not been discovered already. 

“What are you doing here?” Bodhi asks as loudly as he dares.

“I’m here to rescue you!” Bodhi is again incredibly touched and just a bit annoyed. Did no one think he could save himself?

“You idiot!” He yells down causing Jyn to slap her own hand over Bodhi’s mouth. Luke’s smile just grows even bigger

“Jump down!” He calls out and really this is getting ridiculous. Bodhi turns and startles when he comes face to face with Cassian who is glaring down suspiciously at Luke.

“Who is that?” he asks and Bodhi rolls his eyes. 

“A friend,” he snaps. 

“You sure have a lot of friends,” Jyn speaks up and when he glances at her he’s surprised to see her glaring down at Luke just as suspiciously as Cassian had done.

“We don’t have time for this!” He hisses and almost screams when Baze peeks over their shoulders down at Luke.

“You’ve never mentioned him before,” he says as Chirrut nods in agreement beside him. 

“Because I met him while the rest of you left me behind!” Bodhi takes great satisfaction from the way they all immediately look guilty. “Now if you’ll excuse me I want to be free!” 

Bodhi takes great satisfaction from the horrified yells that follow him as he dives out the open window. It’s the little things. 

When he reappears above the water, he can hear the shouting. 

“Bodhi I’m going to kill you!” Jyn threatens loudly. He can’t help but notice she is half out of the window already. Bodhi swims over to Luke who grasps his arm tightly drags him through the water into a tight hug. 

“You shouldn’t have come!” Bodhi admonishes him while Luke laughs. 

“I wasn't going to leave you!” Luke insists and Bodhi feels an overwhelming fondness for his friend. He pulls back and gestures at the rest of his rescue party hanging out the window. 

“Can I bring a few others with me?” Luke laughs and nods. “Jump!” Bodhi calls out to them and Jyn looks murderous. 

“In this dress!?” And yeah she had a point, but their options are limited.

“Jump or get left behind!” It’s an empty threat but it seems to work as Jyn suddenly begins to pull at her dress. With Baze and Chirrut’s help, she has it half off before she realizes Cassian is frozen beside her and blushing something fierce. 

“What are you staring at?” She shouts and grabs him by the lapels of his shirt, shoving him out the window. Bodhi hisses in sympathy as Cassian flails wildly before hitting the water. He resurfaces hacking up water but overall seems okay. Bodhi looks back at Jyn and suddenly he’s in awe at the sight of her graceful divs into the water. She quickly swims to resurface beside Bodhi. 

Finally, it’s just Baze and Chirrut, who quickly remove their stolen armor and jump together. When they resurface Bodhi turns to Luke. 

“Where to?” he asks. Luke opens his mouth to speak but is quickly interrupted by Cassian. 

“We need to meet with K,” he reminds them. “On the other side of the Island.” 

“I have a boat.” Luke points towards the shore. “It’s small but it’ll get us there.” 

Everyone quickly swims to Luke's small dinghy hidden amongst the reeds and they all pile in. Much to Bodhi’s confusion Cassian and Jyn insist on sitting him between them. When Luke sits directly across from him, they glare but Bodhi is too busy staring at the mess they’ve made of the fortress to notice.

A watchtower was indeed on fire and most of the Navy ships were still docked. In the distance, Bodhi noticed a single ship was chasing after another in the distance. Bodhi and Cassian both sigh in relief when they see the wide distance between the two ships, confident that Melshi would easily escape.

Then an entire corner of the fort explodes outwards into the sea. Everyone on the small boat startles violently and Luke has to work to stop the boat from capsizing.

“What the hell was that?!” Bodhi demands as he turns to look at his rescue party. They all look equally surprised by the sudden explosion. 

“I didn’t do that,” Cassian quickly denies. “At least I don’t think so . . .” 

“Yeah . . . ,” Jyn begins, staring wide-eyed as the fort collapses further into the sea, “We only set the watchtower on fire . . . I don’t think that was our fault.” Baze nods in agreement while Chirrut shrugs as if ultimately unsure. 

“Oh, that was me,” Luke openly admits. “I climbed the wrong tower at first but then I set the stored gunpowder to blow.” Everyone turns to look at him in shock. Luke doesn’t seem to notice the way they all stare at him and keeps steering them away from the explosion. Bodhi quietly grins in amusement when he sees both Jyn and Cassian reassessing Luke with narrowed eyes. 

Slowly they sail close to the shore, following the curves of the island. Eventually, the light from the fire grows distant and the sound of yelling men give way to the sound of the ocean. Cassian’s soft voice guides Luke towards Kay and his ship. 

In the darkness, Bodhi finally lets his emotions overwhelm him. He breathes in deeply and lets the tears stream down his cheeks quietly. He lets out a long, shaky sigh of relief which is a mistake because it draws the attention of everyone on the boat. Immediately Cassian and Jyn have hands on him and they speak in soft tones and his sadness transforms to anger quickly. 

“Don’t touch me!” He snaps, slapping their hands off. The boat begins to sway dangerously as Bodhi throws himself forward to sit by luke. He glares at each one of them individually. All of them, save Chirrut of course, look ashamed. 

“What are you all doing here?!” he demands to know. They all open their mouths to speak up but Bodhi quickly cuts them off. “You are all wanted by the Empire!” He chastises them as loudly as he dares. “There is a bounty on all of your heads, alive or dead!” Bodhi hissed venomously, “And you all decided to wander back onto an Empire controlled stronghold!” 

They are all frantically shushing him and Bodhi has to take several deep breaths before he ends up screaming so loudly he gives away their position. He turns on Luke then. 

“And you!” Luke jumps, causing the boat to sway dangerously yet again. “You’re a farmer! What were you thinking? Trying to break out a royal prisoner? Scaling the side of a fortress? SETTING THE GUNPOW—” Both Cassian and Jyn lunge forward to try and silence Bodhi but only manage to collide with each other. It’s nearly the last straw for the poor little boat and they all remain still in an attempt to stabilize the boat. When the threat passes, Luke speaks in his defense. 

“I couldn't let them hurt you, ” Luke says earnestly and Bodhi has trouble staying mad at him for it. “Han told me what happened and—.” 

“Han came to you?” Bodhi interrupts him and both of them stare at each other in surprise. 

“You know Han?” Luke asked and Bodhi nodded before confessing. 

“He’s the one that gave me the key to my cell.” Luke smiles brilliantly 

“He’s the one that told me where to find you!” Bodhi feels his fondness for the grumpy guard grow. 

“Who is Han? “ Cassian asks pointedly and is ignored. Instead, it is Chirrut who answers. 

“Isn't that the name of our contact?” he muses. 

“That is the man helping us smuggle rum off Imperial ships,” Baze confirms. 

“The scruffy smuggler?” Jyn asked with an eyebrow raised. “How did you convince him to help you?” 

“I seduced him,” Bodhi deadpans causing everyone on the boat to freeze. Bodhi only looks at Luke, who had a strange expression on his face. 

“Is he safe?” Bodhi wanted to know “He wasn’t in the fort was he?” Luke shook his head. 

“Of course not.” He says quickly “ He was on the docks securing one of the ships,” Luke assures him. Bodhi breathes a sigh of relief before he feels the others staring at him. He is only saved from more questions by the sight of a ship.

Bodhi is filled with fear that they had been discovered only to be calmed by Cassian's soft voice beside him. 

“It’s K,” he murmurs in relief. Bodhi finally turns to look at Cassian. 

“What happened to our ship?” He asks because it’s not the same ship that Cassian had used to pluck him out of the ocean so long ago. 

“I told you,” he sighs, looking terribly sorry, “There were unforeseen delays.” 

“You lost the ship? Bodhi asks softly, “How?” Cassian hesitates before glancing up to look him in the eyes. 

“It got wrecked against a reef while trying to escape from an Imperial warship,” Cassian admits ruefully. “The imperial cannons finished her off.” When he had been left behind, Bodhi honestly doubted he would ever see that ship again but it still broke his heart to know for certain that he never would. He says nothing and silently watches as they approach Cassian's new ship. He’s running through old memories when a sudden thought makes him scoff.

“Maybe if I’d been at the helm you wouldn't have run her aground,” Bodhi finds the words slipping out. Bodhi’s sharp words and Cassian’s offended expression cause the small boat to explode into a small cut of noise. Baze and Chirrut are both laughing breathlessly. Jyn raises a hand to her mouth and turns away from them in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her snickering. Luke bites his lip to stop any sound escaping but his bright smile gives him away. 

“Why do you think I was at the helm?” Cassian whispers. A futile effort on such a small boat.

“K would never.” Bodhi snaps back and Cassian leans away from him, glaring. He does not respond as they sail near enough to the new ship for a familiar figure to lean over the railing and call out to them. 

“You were sent to rescue one prisoner,” K calls down at Cassian, tone flat. “Who are these people?” Bodhi smiles up at Cassian's navigator. 

“Hello K,” Bodhi calls out, “Good to see you again.” 

“Hello Bodhi,” K says and Bodhi swears he can see the hint of a smile on K’s face. 

“I brought some friends with me,” Bodhi continues, “Can they come along?” K sighs as he turns away but Bodhi spots a grin on the normally stoic face. 

“If you insist,” K says, and Bodhi smiles brightly in return. They pull up beside the ship and K drops a rope ladder. Bodhi wants to make sure everyone else is safe on the ship before he follows. On his orders, Cassian goes first but not before giving him a long look, and then Chirrut went next with Baze right behind him. Jyn calls Bodhi a sweetheart when he insists she go first and then gives him a soft kiss on the cheek before climbing up. He motions at Luke to step forward and is surprised when the farmer gently shakes his head. 

“I’m not going with you,” he says softly and Bodhi can’t understand why. 

“You’ve been trying to leave this island for years,” Bodhi says, utterly confused. ”You hate it here.”

Luke laughs ruefully. “I do,” he says hesitantly, as a blush blooms across his handsome face. “But I have to go find Han,” he finally says and suddenly Bodhi does understand. He smiles and laughs out loud as the pieces begin to fall into place.

“So you're the troublesome farmer Han keeps talking about,” Bodhi says knowingly. Luke’s blush grows even more and he’s holding his hands up to his cheeks. 

“I guess so,” he says and Bodhi can see his resolve strengthen. Bodhi knows then, he’s leaving a friend behind. He feels his eyes grow watery but he tries to keep smiling for Luke. 

“Thank you for helping me,” he says softly. “And when you find Han please give him this for me.” He leans forward and gives Luke a soft lingering kiss that would have lasted longer if someone from the ship above hadn’t tossed something down at them. Bodhi looks up quickly as several heads are disappearing behind the railing. He glares at the only figure that hadn’t hidden from sight, Chirrut, before Baze’s hand reaches to pull him back. He turns back to Luke who has a silly smile on his face. 

“I don’t think it’ll have the same effect,” he tells him and Bodhi laughs. 

“I’m sure it’ll be better,” Bodhi tells him and gives Luke another kiss before pulling away to climb up the ladder. “That one was for you!” he calls back. When he reaches the top he’s pulled up by several sets of hands. He lets their hands linger but turns to look at Luke who has waited to see Bodhi safely aboard. He waves up at them in farewell with a bright smile on his face before pushing away from the ship and sailing off. Bodhi watches for a long while until he’s interrupted by a soft voice beside him.

“It’s time to go,” Cassian says with a soft grip on his arm. Bodhi glances back at him and stares for a long moment as the ship begins to move under them. 

“Thank you,” he says, turning to look at Jyn, Baze, and Chirrut. “Thank you for coming back for me.” They all smile at him and Bodhi feels warmth blooming in his chest as he looks at the closest thing he has to a family. He is determined to never be left behind again. 

“Let’s go.” He nods and everyone quickly breaks off into different directions. K is walking away with Jyn trailing after him, trying to borrow a set of his clothes apparently. Baze and Chirrut quickly disappear below deck to discuss the collecting of their cargo at another port and Cassian is back at the helm again. Bodhi sighs in relief. Despite some squabbling, they’re working well together. Cassian motions for him to come nearer and when he does he pulls away from the wheel in an unmistakable gesture. 

“Since you think you can do better,” he says pointedly. Bodhi laughs in his face before taking the wheel. 

“I absolutely can!” Bodhi assures him. Cassian smiles but quietly watches Bodhi lead them out to the open ocean. They remain quiet as the rest of the crew works around them and it’s not until they’ve gained speed that Cassian speaks again. 

“I’ll make it up to you,” Cassian promises sincerely. Bodhi can’t help himself. He’s flying high off the taste of freedom and so he reaches out to place a soft kiss on Cassian cheek. His face turns a familiar flushed pink and he gives Bodhi a small, pleased smile. Any reply Bodhi could have given is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Jyn by his side. She seems to have acquired a temporary outfit and Bodhi thinks she looks stunning in an oversized outfit tightened at the waist with a belt. 

“So where are we going?” she asks while bumping a shoulder into his.

“We need to go to Yavin!” Chirrut speaks up as he and Baze return from below deck. 

“We have a stash of spices and rum there,” Baze explains. Bodhi glances at Cassian who nods in agreement. With a sigh, K mumbles about plotting their route.

“Alright,” Bodhi agrees, “Let's pick up some speed.” He orders and there is a flurry of activity as the crew rushes to drop the sails and catch the gentle morning breeze. The sky is brightening quickly and sunrise will be on the horizon soon. Bodhi has plans to be in a place far far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so. . . that took a long time. I've literally been working on this one chapter for over a year. I'm having a shit month and I thought I'd carve out some time to do something that makes me happy. 
> 
> Shoutouts and a Million Thanks to:  
@ANTchan who convinced me to play Assassins Creed 4, hence the pirates setting.  
@Rogueshadows who kept sending me inspiration and motivated me to keep writing.  
@Colettebronte who motivated me to keep going and then combed through all my many mistakes so that I could present y'all with the best chapter I could.  
Finally everyone in the Rogue One Discord group. Thank's for shouting into the void with me.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I plan to add other chapters but not anytime soon.  
I work two jobs and I go to school part-time so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. As always I apologize for any errors. I'm trying my best.  
oh and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


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